TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

COMMUNITIES: A PARTICIPATORY RESOURCE

CREATION APPROACH TO OER IN KARNATAKA

Kasinathan, G.;Ranganathan, R.;

;

© 2018, KASINATHAN, G.

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IDRC Grant/ Subvention du CRDI: 107311-001-Research into Open Educational Resources for

Development

Teacher Professional Learning Communities: a participatory resource creation approach to OER 

in Karnataka

April 2016

Education Research Group presentation

Abbreviations used

● FOSS ­ Free and Open Source (Software), also known as ‘open source’ software or ‘free software’ 

● FGD(s) ­ Focus Group discussion(s)

● ICT ­ Information and Communication Technologies (more specifically digital technologies)

● ITfC ­ IT for Change 

● OER adoption­ OER adoption is used throughout the report in a comprehensive manner, to include resource reuse, creation, revision, remixing and redistribution

● PLC – Professional Learning Community

● PRC­AR ­ Participatory programme for Resource Creation ­ Action Research. 

● STF ­ Subject Teacher Forum program

● TPD ­ Teacher Professional Development

OER – a recent global movement in teaching­learning resources creation and availabilitylargely driven by institutions in developed countries (Global North), can therefore influence learning in hegemonic ways

ROER4D (Research on OER for development) A multi­country research to understand OER adoption in the developing countries (Global South), across countries in Asia, Africa and South America

ROER4D research questionIn what ways, and under what circumstances can the adoption of OER address the increasing demand for accessible, relevant, high­quality and affordable post­secondary education in the Global South?

Research sub­projects of ROER4D include:Survey on OER adoption in Universities, Teachers attitudes to OER, Re­use of OER in curriculum development, Impact of OER use on Mathematics education

Background – Open Educational Resources (OER) and ROER4D

Literature review

OER can help reduce cost of learning materials. (Lane, 2008) 

● Expand access to quality of materials for higher education. (Wiley, Green & Soares 2012)

Cultural factors impact OER use and adoption. (Ngimwa & Wilson, 2012) 

● Actual adoption of OER seems marginal in the global South. (Thakrar, Zinn &Wolfenden, 2009 and Hatakka 2009) 

● There is need to avoid a culture of dependency; African institutions must be more than consumers; they also need to be generators of new knowledge and the means of sharing that knowledge” Ngugi 2011:284.

Contextual OER 

● How effective are OERs outside of the context they are created? Ferreira (2008)

● There is a risk that language barriers and cultural differences could consign less developed countries to the role of OER consumers rather than contributors to the expansion of knowledge. (Paul Albright 2006 p. 12) 

Can OER processes lead to Teacher Professional Development (TPD)?Reduce teacher isolation 

OER creation through collaborative design. Sapire and Reed (2011)  Processes of peer review, feedback to improve teacher capability. (Petrides, Jimes, Middleton­Detzner & Howell, 2010)

“Teachers’ engagement with OER has the potential to support enhanced teacher collaboration and curriculum development activities as well as information sharing about resources, practices, and teaching challenges by encouraging a shift in focus from materials production to mentorship and facilitation.” (Ossiannilsson & Creelman, 2012).

Work on the TESSA project in Sub­Saharan Africa has also indicated the value of collaboratively developing OER (Wolfenden, Buckler & Keraro 2012) and the possibilities of pedagogical change (Murphy & Wolfenden 2013).

Literature review

Participatory Resource Creation – Action ResearchSub­project of ROER4D, conducted by IT for Change in Karnataka

Whether and how, a bottom­up approach, where participants collaboratively and actively co­create contextual resources ('embedded' within a 'community oflearning'), can support effective OER models

Action research with a group or 67 Mathematics, Science and Social Science Government High School teachers in Karnataka, who are part of a larger professional learning of teachers created by the ‘Subject Teacher Forum’ program

Research period ­ January 2014 to December 2015Location – Karnataka state, India

IT for Change research 

Actors in the study

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Techno­social contextICT program penetration high in high schools but actual availability poorTeachers use of ICTs poor, outsourced model of implementationproprietary software environment 

Pedagogical contextText book cultureFree supply of textbooks to all teachers and studentsTeacher as a minor technician

Socio­cultural contextLinguistic diversity Text books created at state level may not be able to address local contexts

Context to the our research 

whether teacher participation in OER creation has the potential to impact their  

1. techno­social (expanding their use of digital methods), 

2. techno­pedagogical (influencing their use of curricular resources and their pedagogies) and 

3. socio­cultural (influencing their use of materials in local language and reflecting local culture) contexts and needs. 

Research objectives

Framework for the research

Structuration theory (Anthony Giddens, 1984) adopted as the framework for the study

The Study

● Can a core group of teachers, (embedded in a professional learning community of teachers)

●  participate in a TPD program on OER adoption, strengthening their agency?

And 

● whether such participatory processes can influence 

– the techno­­social structure 

– the techno­­pedagogical structure 

– socio­cultural structure (in terms of contextual resources), ● enabling the emergence of a OER model 

● in the education system in Karnataka, India.

Structure and 

Agency(Impact of structure

on agency at beginning of the 

research)

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Methodology

Mixed Method approach

Quantitative

● Closed ended questionnaire for participating teachers and comparable group of teachers

– Demographic profile, Use of technology (computers and Internet), Teachers' need for information, ICTs for teaching 

– Socio­cultural aspects of OER (contextuality)

– Awareness and access to OER / Learning Materials , Adoption of OER / Learning Materials

– In what ways do teachers adapt, create,share/distribute  OER / Learning Materials in their work

– Networking for peer learning and sharing

Methodology

Qualitative

● Focus Group Discussions with PRC­AR teachers

– Sharing beliefs and perspectives on OER, TPD and PLC ● Key Informant Interviews with teachers and officials

– Factors favouring and constraining the development of an effective OER model based on PRC processes amongst teachers

● Mail analysis of the mails shared in the PLC forums / mailing lists

– Reuse, creation, revision, remixing, re­distribution of resources by PRC­AR teachers in the PLC mailing lists

● KOER content analysis 

– Creation, and sharing of resources by PRC­AR teachers on the KOER wiki portal 

Questionnaire administered to PRC group and comparable group of teachersPart 1 – To ascertain if the two groups are comparableAge, academic qualifications,  work experience, subjects taught of both groups similar. Hence the groups are comparable. 

Part 2­ If the PRC­AR processes have impacted the PRC­AR teachersUse of ICTs by PRC group significantly higher Use of computers and InternetComputers and Internet for fulfilling learning needsUse of digital resourcesUse of ICTs for preparing to teach and for teaching studentsAdaptation of learning materialsProfessional networking

This suggests that the PRC processes have positively impacted  the technology use, use of OER and teacher networking habits of the PRC­AR teachers

Findings ­ Questionnaire

1. Often 2. Occasionally 3. Hardly 4. Not at all 5. No response

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

32.84%

61.19%

1.49% 0.00%4.48%

Frequency of use of additional learning materials

Comparable

PRC-AR

Findings – QuestionnaireComparison between PRC­AR and comparable groups

Usage of computers Usage period (1. 2 Usage period (> 3 years) Pereemage

Syearsj

Comparable 0 I 4 3.31%

PRCAR 12 2 44 55.57%

Usage or InternetUsage period (1.3years)— Usage period Pertentag

(> 3 wars)

Comparable I 2 I 3 2.35%

PRGAR 9 2 45 57. I 5%

Computers ior inirning Usage period ( l-3years)— Usage period Percentage

learning needs (>3 years)

Comparable 0 I I 0.95%

PRCAR ll 2 34 50.75%

Findings – Questionnaire

Comparison between PRC­AR and 

comparable groups

Use Ii‘ ICTs for teachilug Yes Pememage No Permnlag No response Percentagestudents

Comparable 0 I 47 44.75% 53 55.23%

PRCVAR 43 2 5 7.46% 19 28.36%

Professional networking Comparable Percentage PRC-AR Pemenmge

Inleraclmn wuh |eachers m your school 13 2 65 -

Imeracuon w1|h|eachers m your mlu/az (block) 9 - 65 2

Ilmeracuon wnhleachers m yourd1s|nc| ll 2 64 -

Imeracuon wnhleachers beyond yourd1s|nc| n 2 55 2

Creatinglearning Percentage Sharing learning Permnlag

nmerials nmerials

Compnmble 62 59.05% 68 64. 76%

PRC—AR 59 38.06% 65 97.01%

Table crennng resources In eo11nbornuon vulh mhersl

Comparable Percentage PRC-AR Pelvenlage

6 5.71% 50 74.63%

Resources must be free (i.e. at no or low cost) and open to revision for use in the classroom. 

Resources should be available in local languages to be contextually relevant. 

Resources also need to be relevant to what is being taught and learner levels and needs. 

Resources can help to increase content knowledge, supplement textbooks and even increase (student) interest in the subject

Resources shared and learning undertaken through a PLC were valuable processes available to them to update their knowledge

The use of digital methods in OER adoption helped teachers to create resources in different formats, using different editors and tools learnt in the workshops, and also share it with their peers over the mailing­lists

Findings – FGD and Key Informant Interviews

Findings – Mail analysis

Muntlu PRC-AR (Mathelnafics Tum] PLc (Maths

and science grullp) science grullp)

Augusl 2014 142 1004

February 2015 so 2295

Augusl 2015 29:1 31 so

Tuial 496 5455

Pevcentalmans

100.00%

50.00%

60.00%

40.00%

20.00%

0.00%

Mails in English and Kannada languages

Mathematics Science

Sumac!

social scuence

- English

I Kannada

Table. Mails shared by PRC-AR Ieachers

Mails snared

by PRC-AR Tm: mains in ttte

Groups PRC-AR PLC members Percentage teactters PLC mat ng lin Percentage

Malhcmaltcs and setcucc 44 9,552 0.45% 3,397 50,264 5 75°/..

soetal setcnee 22 2,219 0.59% 3,930 25,199 15 5%

‘ram 57 12,332 0.52% 7527 75,453 9 7°/..

Analyses by type of mails

Analyses by OER processes

roots nru ‘lulnhrr Pertenuge%

Counr—A§kIng for help seakmg tnrortnanouor resources 21

couru — Sharing resources — Reuse [Including review comments) so

couru — Sharing resources — created 10:

1Count — shartng resources — nevisetil

count — Sharing resources — Remind

Tom Iluil s nu

Counr—O1hers 275

459Tom

OER process Number Percenmge

count - suartug resources —Aoccsscd 55 24.42%

count . suartug resources — crcatco (mcl speettae resource Ideas) 102 52.53%

count . suartug resources — Rcvlsod 2 1.34%

count . suartug resources — Rcmlxcd 2 1.22%

Total (also some as Rc-dtsmbutc) 152 100.00%

Analyses by type of OER and formats

Nature or resunrte lnsed on mpyright Number Percenuge

Explicit non—OER: 2‘ "W"

impItctruou—oi=_ks 0MW“

impltctroiaizs 144H 3”“

Expltctroiaizs 159 32%

Toot: 152‘M W“

new

IPVWHQVV

Findings ­ KOER content ­ summary statistics

KOER uulyfics English KOER K.Inn.|d.I KOER Ihtio of Klnnndx m

mgush

Toml web page view: I67 m|||Ion+ 0 as mI||Ion+ 33 ~72

Web page: cleaned 4,400+ 3,000+ ex 13

keadume file:uploaded 2500+ 1,500+ 50 00

uaen/edmn 235 146 121 40

English Wikipedil K.Inn.|d.I Wi.kiped.i.I

Numba of amelea 4 9 ml on+ I6 500+ 0 34

Subject Number or Concept Addifinrul A||d.ios/ Text Sim||.l1finns/

resource nups web um videns/ nuterinls animaripns

pages from nae images uessan lfleogehrll

(rented Internet p1ans\

Mamemaue: LEng|I:h) 39 2A 22 13 23 3

Science LEng|I:h) ss 21 5 23 I6 4

Mamemaue: Lkanlmdxl 42 9 7 6 5 2

Science Lknnlmdxl 51 21 14 44 us 1

1. Systemic integration of ICTs into TPD and resource creation programmes of the Education DepartmentTeacher training program conducted in ICT Labs in state and districtsMaterials created and shared on digital networks

2. Capacity building for handling digital technologies and building agency.Purchase of personal devicesInstallation of FOSS operating system bundled with educational tools‘I want to buy laptop' and 'frequently asked questions’ on the KOER portal

3. Creating a free and open environment.Connecting public software and public educationMultiple tools learnt and used for resource creationResources in multiple (open) formats shared

ChallengesICT infrastructure maintenance and availability still inadequateComfort and competence in use of ICTs, a time consuming process for many

Analyses ­ Impact of programme on the techno­social structure 

Analyses­ Impact of programme on the Techno­pedagogic structures● PRC­ ­ AR processes enable creating and sharing resources

● Design of resources● Being able to contribute in smaller units and sharing/ accessing● Possibilities of remixing multiple formats of resources (made possible in a 

Mediawiki platform)

● Impact of OER processes on TPD– PRC group teachers reported far greater engagement with resource adoption 

than comparable group– Reported higher use of additional materials– Their conception of what is a resource has changed – documenting activities, 

processes and sharing– Questioning the textbook culture– Combining methods and formats and sharing

● Recording of a mapping lesson● Digitizing in different ways and sharing

Techno­pedagogic structures – Teacher Agency

● Influence of the interactions between the PRC­AR group and PLC on TPD– The mailing ­lists have emerged as spaces where teachers are taking 

ownership, self­­regulating their conversations and moderating interactions.

– Within this context, the teacher community is responding to the various needs and priorities of teachers in terms of classroom resources and materials, and many contentious issues are publicly debated. 

– The mailing groups operate as ‘always available’ spaces for teachers to raise issues they consider important. Gidden’s assertion “mediated contacts that permit some of the intimacies of co­­presence are made possible in the modern era by electronic Communication" )

– Such any time, anywhere possibilities of “co­­presence” has implications for supporting collective agency of the members. 

1. ‘Implicit’ OER in the Indian public school system contextTeachers intend to share for review and revision and re­use but do not explicity state open license

2. OER creation in the local languageKannada Wikipedia is 0.34% of English Wikipedia; FOR KOER it is 68% 

3. Response to learner socio­cultural contextCreation of ‘foundation’ materials in Mathematics and Kannada

Impact on the socio­cultural structure

Structure and Agency (Impact of agency on structure at end of the research)

structure tcontexts) — runes and

rtsouroes m the puhnc ottucatton

system, Karuatatra at the end or the

Teacher Agency as a result or the PRC-All

proomsos commuutty of teachers Ieanuug andconahoratmg, through the tn-servtce TPD

amou raearch pertod progralnme

Techno-social structure tatgttat Agency dtztlecltc w uh |echno—soctal suucnue

oontexts)—Teachercapact|tes developed to tmeracl wuh the

Sm m,,,e,(, atguat envtronmenl and blltld an awareness onhe

posstbtnttes orrhe otguat tn OER aoopuon

processes. and demand a |echnology nch

envtronmenl.

— Inlegralton of [CT tnfraslnlclure for

"my tn the eoucatton deparlmem

7 Teachers falmltanly mm dtgflal 7 Demand crealed for [CT tnfrastnlclu re upltme by

melhods and cztpabtltly lo tnlegrale

dtgtlal rec hnotog tes

reachers. tn the schools and tn the educalton sys|em

— Free and open mgttat enuronmenl created. so that

teacherscan freely access and share dtgtlal

resources (soflware and con|en|)

— Free and open dtgflal envtronmem

Structure and Agency (Impact of agency on structure at end of the research)

Tectmo-porlagogtcat toducatlonnt

contexts)

study context

Teachers open to constdertng OER tn

teachtng. as an alternattye to text book

culture

Teachers open to constdertng OER

adoptton as part of TPI)

Teachers wtlltngness to collaborate to

create and share OER

Agency dtalecttc wtth techno magogtcal structure

— Teachers wtlltngness and abtltttes to access. create

and share mu lttple OER that can extend the

textbook

— Teacher capactttes to collaborate tn networks to

share thetr expertences and resources: creattng an

envtronmemof self—leanllng and peer—learntng. that

supports TPDI

Sodo-cllllll ral

study context

— contexmal OER are avatlable tn

Kannada and teachers are able to create

OER tn Kannada

— Teacher nelwolks suppontng peer

learntng and collaboratton

Agency dtalecttc wtth soctocultural stntcture

— Teacher capactttes developed to create matertals

tn local language. relevanl to the learners context

— Teacher networks created to enable peer support

Duality

ol

structure

And

Agency

Participatory resource creation, a model for teacher professional development and OER adoption

Next phase of researchUse of OER in classroom processesStudy of the PLC interactionsAdapting the program in other states to refine the model

Policy required to actively support a free and open technology environment, which would include support for OER

Conclusion